UPDATED: 2/23/26 at 10:30 p.m. ET — The Pima County Sheriff’s department released a statement addressing reports that the masked subject in Nancy Guthrie’s alleged kidnapping visited her home before her disappearance.
“Suspect Image: We are aware that doorbell images released earlier in the investigation depict a suspect in different stages of attire, including with and without a backpack,” the Monday, February 23, statement read. “There is no date or time stamp associated with these images. Therefore, any suggestion that the photographs were taken on different days is purely speculative.”
The statement noted that Guthrie’s case remains an “active and ongoing criminal investigation,” and “as with any investigation, conclusions will be guided by verifiable evidence and established facts. Speculation, without factual support, does not advance the investigative process.”
Original story below:
The masked subject who was caught on camera in front of Nancy Guthrie’s doorstep reportedly visited her home before her alleged kidnapping.
ABC News reported on Monday, February 23, that the photos released by the FBI from Nancy’s Nest doorbell camera, in which the suspect is wearing a backpack, are from the day before her alleged abduction on Sunday, February 1, after the 84-year-old was reported missing by her family following a missed virtual church service.
Additional photos that show the suspect without a backpack, however, were reportedly taken from a day before the alleged kidnapping took place.
Us Weekly has reached out to the Pima County Sheriff Department for comment.
Sheriff Reveals How Much Longer Nancy Guthrie Investigation Could Continue
Nancy was last seen by her family on January 31 after being dropped off at her Tucson, Arizona, home by family members. (Nancy shared daughters Savannah Guthrie and Annie Guthrie and son Camron Guthrie with late husband Charles Guthrie.)
Savannah, 54, and her siblings have spoken out pleading for assistance in the search of their mother.
“We believe our mom is still out there. We need your help. Law enforcement is working tirelessly around the clock, trying to bring her home, trying to find her,” Savannah said in a video shared via Instagram earlier this month. “She was taken, and we don’t know where, and we need your help. So, I’m coming on just to ask you, not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, you hear anything, if there’s anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement.”
On February 12, the FBI released surveillance footage obtained from Nancy’s home. Photos and videos showed the alleged subject in an all-black outfit and a ski mask while wearing a black backpack. In the images, the unidentified person can be seen attempting to disable Nancy’s camera.
The FBI has described the subject as “a male, approximately 5’9’’ – 5’10’’ tall, with an average build” and was seen “wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos stated that the backpack could be a clue in the search for Nancy.
“That backpack, we could positively now identify as a backpack that is sold at one place only. That’s Walmart,” he told NBC News in an interview released on Tuesday, February 17. “So we’re working with our Walmart managers all across the state to try to find out
how many sales were there of that backpack in the last 20, 30 days, the last 60 days.”
(Following reports that the backpack was found by an Arizona search party earlier this month, Nanos confirmed on the Monday, February, 23, episode of the Today show that the discovered bag was not the correct item authorities are searching for.)
Clue About Nancy Guthrie Kidnapper Emerges, Sheriff Confirms She Was Targeted
Officials confirmed on Friday, February 20, that they had received more than 12,000 tips from the public related to Nancy’s disappearance. The reward was doubled from $100,000 to $200,000 following a donation made to the local 88-CRIME tip line for any information that results in Nancy’s rescue or recovery. Multiple alleged ransom notes wanting payment in bitcoin have also been investigated by the FBI.
Nanos previously stated that they believe Nancy’s alleged kidnapping was targeted.
“I think this was an individual who had a target for whatever reason, and he has made it tough, but I’ve got some pretty tough investigators too,” he said on the Today show during the Wednesday, February 18, broadcast. “As long as we have the ability to chase a lead, it’s not cold. We’re not going to give up. We’re going to find Nancy, and we’re going to find out who did this.”
